Many vehicles include a spare wheel-mounted tire stored in a trunk or adjacent to an exterior portion. In some cases, the spare tire can be stowed near the underside of the vehicle. A hoisting device may be provided to assist in raising and lowering the spare tire to and from its stowage position. Such a hoisting device can include a winch that winds or unwinds a cable, chain, strap or other connecting member that is releasably coupled to the spare tire. Thus, in a stowage mode, an operator can couple the connecting member to the spare tire and actuate the hoisting device to lift the spare tire to the stowage position on or near the underside of the vehicle. In a removing mode, the operator can actuate the hoisting device to lower the spare tire to the ground, and can then decouple the connecting member from the tire so that the tire can be deployed on the vehicle.